EFFECTS OF RAP AND HEAVY METAL MUSIC

LYRICS ON ADOLESCENT BEHAVIORS

SAMANTHA-KING, JIM-MCCONNELL, MIKE-ORR, TANYA-SCHREIBER,
CHASE-TRINH, SUSAN-THORNBERG, JEREMY-WOLFE.
DEPARTMENT OF PSYCHOLOGY
WEST CHESTER UNIVERSITY
Sponsored by TOM TREADWELL(ttreadwe@albie.wcupa.edu)

ABSTRACT
This study is designed to examine whether the lyrics of heavy metal and rap music have
an effect on the mood, suicidal ideation, aggression, and stereotyping of adolescents.
Heavy metal and rap music lyrics have been blamed for an increase in adolescent
suicide and aggression, however the studies conducted so far have only suggested a
correlation between the music and the adolescents’ behavior. This study involves
listening to heavy metal and rap music in three groups while playing foosball*: one will
hear the music with lyrics, one will hear just the music without lyrics, and the control
group will not hear any music. Aggression will be measured in a 3 by 1, between-
subjects design experiment.

INTRODUCTION
Effects of Rap and Heavy Metal Music Lyrics on Adolescent Behavior
The introduction of rock and roll music in the 1950’s brought with it the fear that its
lyrics and new rhythms would adversely affect young listeners. That fear has carried
over into the twenty-first century, but now the criticism is focused primarily on heavy
metal and rap. It has been suggested that the lyrics in these types of music promote
aggression, bigotry, deviant sexual activity, suicide, violence, drug use, and homicide
(Ballard & Dodson, 1999). This topic is significant since it is an issue that is debated
feverishly by record companies, artists, censorship supporters, parent groups, and even
our federal government.
This issue also arises in the field of medicine. The American Academy of Pediatrics
fears that rock lyrics are potential threats to the health and well being of adolescents.
These concerns include pregnancy, drug use, sexually transmitted diseases, accidents,
and suicide. (Mendelson, 1989). Physicians view adolescence as a difficult period
because of the biological and psychological changes that occur. Young people are also
expected to develop a solid set of moral values through their perceptions of adult
standards and behaviors. Physicians use music preferences as clues to the emotional and
mental health of their adolescent patients. Music containing explicit lyrics can skew and
misrepresent the realities of the outside world. Rock music tends to symbolize the
adolescent themes of rebellion and autonomy. Rap music is infamous for its
inflammatory remarks towards women. Thus the two most popular forms of music for
adolescents revolve around themes of disrespect and sexual imagery (Brown & Hendee,
1989). Furthermore, the effects music lyrics have on mood, suicidal ideation,
aggression, and stereotyping have been questioned.
Studies that have been conducted on music preference link preference with various
social conditions or behaviors. Wass, Miller, & Stevenson (1989) found that students
who listened to music that promotes homicide, suicide, or satanic practices were more
likely to have remarried or unmarried parents and more likely to be white males in
urban public schools. Another study found that there is a strong correlation between a
preference for rock music that has destructive themes and antisocial or destructive
behavior (Wass, Miller, & Redditt, 1991). In addition, there is a link between preference
for heavy metal or rap and below average grades, behavioral problems, sexual activity,
drug and alcohol use, and arrests (Took & Weiss, 1994). It is important to note that
correlational studies do not verify any cause and effect relationship between heavy
metal or rap and a given behavior.
Other studies have focused on whether music lyrics can be directly blamed for the rise
in adolescent suicide. The general consensus of these studies is that while there may be
a connection between music and suicide, suicidal ideation, and thoughts of suicide
(Scheel & Westefeld, 1999), there is no empirical data that links heavy metal or rap to
suicidal behavior (Ballard & Coates, 1995). These conclusions, however, have not
stopped lawsuits from being filed holding music liable for the suicides of young people.
The rock band Judas Priest was blamed for the s(underline them)uicide of two males, 18
and 20 years of age. The court found that while the music did have a “toxic influence”
or a negative effect on adolescents, it could not solely be blamed for the actions of the
youths (Litman & Farberow, 1994).
The basis for this proposal is due to the limited amount of research on music and
adolescents, and the effect it has on behaviors, such as aggression and violen(underline
them)ce. One study on rap music did find some variations in the behavior of its subjects.
Litman (1997) states those groups who listened to rap music with lyrics demonstrated
slightly higher tendency toward verbal aggression than the subjects in a non-lyric group
and a non-music control group. In this study, 60 males in grades three through five were
matched in pairs and were given a music preference questionnaire to complete. Each
pair, or dyad, was then videotaped while playing a game of table hockey. The same
tasks were accomplished by dyads in each of the three conditions. Pairs that were in the
music with lyrics group showed a slightly higher tendency to verbal and nonverbal
aggressive behavior, especially in the competitive table hockey exercise, implying that
the lyrics are more influential than the music or beat.
The question of whether or not the lyrical content of songs causes negative mood such
as sadness, depression, nervousness or anger has been studied. Ballard and Coats (1995)
conducted research to determine if music or lyrical content had an immediate effect on
suicidal ideation or state anxiety. They had volunteers listen to six different songs that
were either heavy metal or rap crossed with three different lyrical themes. The three
themes were nonviolent, homicidal, and suicidal lyrics. In order to insure that the
participants would listen carefully to the lyrics without giving an indication of what the
true nature of the study was, the experimenters told the participants they were being
tested for memory for lyrics. They were then given a Beck Depression Inventory, which
measures for depression, state anxiety, and suicidal ideation. The results indicated that
neither music nor lyrical content had an immediate effect on state anxiety. Conversely,
the non-violent rap songs elicited higher scores on the Beck Depression Inventory than
violent rap songs.

* Foosball: German word for “table-soccer”